The Challenge
Tell us about yourself and the nature of your work
I am Jan Viljoen, CEO of IDUNOVA. I have over 20 years of experience in IT training. I have always been passionate about using technology to improve education. This passion has made me committed to making high-quality IT education accessible to everyone.
One of our main goals at IDUNOVA is to come up with innovative edtech solutions by incorporating AI into our learning material. For example, we have launched AI-enhanced iBooks that offer our users a more personalized, interactive learning approach. Under my leadership, IDUNOVA sets new standards in edtech, empowering individuals and organizations with cutting-edge learning solutions.
What challenges did you face before using Kotobee?
An opportunity emerged when we secured the distribution rights for a vast library of over 2000 ebooks. This significant milestone enabled us to implement our AI initiatives, including the integration of our AI learning assistant, Luna, into these ebooks. We envisioned transforming these ebooks into dynamic, interactive learning resources that leveraged AI to provide personalized learning experiences – which we branded as IDUNOVA iBooks. However, with this opportunity, we faced several challenges related to the launch, publication, hosting, and distribution of our iBooks.
For instance, managing such a large volume of ebooks required a robust platform capable of handling high performance and reliability. Self-hosting and many LMS platforms lacked the necessary infrastructure to scale effectively. Moreover, We needed a platform with strong integration capabilities and the flexibility to support extensive customization. Another important feature that we needed was having detailed insights into user interactions, but unfortunately, many platforms did not meet our reporting requirements.
“Kotobee has strong integration capabilities and customization options that enabled us to seamlessly incorporate Luna (our AI learning assistant) into our ebooks.”
The Solution
What potential solutions did you explore that didn't work out?
Before deciding on Kotobee, we explored several options to publish, host, and manage our AI-enhanced iBooks. We considered self-hosting, which offered complete control over the hosting environment, customization, and integration capabilities. However, the high implementation costs, significant time investment, and the need for extensive technical expertise to develop and maintain the platform made it impractical, especially given the scale of managing over 2000 ebooks.
We also evaluated various LMS platforms known for their robust features in managing and distributing educational content. While these platforms included built-in reporting and analytics tools, they often lacked the flexibility needed for extensive AI integration and customization.
Additionally, other providers like Kitaboo offered strong interactive ebook creation and distribution capabilities but fell short in terms of integration flexibility and customization for our AI initiatives. The overall cost and effort required to implement these solutions were also higher compared to Kotobee, particularly when considering our need for extensive customization and scalability.
How did you hear about Kotobee?
We came across Kotobee while searching on Google for an interactive ebook creator that would enable us to add AI capabilities to our ebooks.
What drove you to choose Kotobee?
Kotobee provided the comprehensive solution we needed to address the challenges we faced and capitalize on our opportunity. We found that Kotobee’s platform offers a wide range of features, including ebook creation, hosting, distribution, and management, all in one place. This eliminated the need for multiple platforms and reduced costs. It also has strong integration capabilities and customization options that enabled us to seamlessly incorporate Luna into our ebooks. Moreover, the platform’s advanced reporting and analytics tools provided detailed insights into reader engagement and behavior.
“We found that Kotobee’s platform offers a wide range of features, including ebook creation, hosting, distribution, and management, all in one place.”
The Results
What specific aspect of your ebook are you most proud of?
We are most proud of the world-class hyper-personalized learning experience we provide by incorporating the capabilities of Luna, our AI learning assistant, into our ebooks. Luna offers real-time interaction for our users, including instant support, clarifying doubts, and adapting to individual progress.
Combined with the reading capabilities provided by Kotobee, Luna transforms our ebooks into dynamic, interactive learning resources. And since Kotobee supports a wide range of multimedia content, such as videos, audio, and interactive quizzes, we were able to seamlessly integrate Luna into the learning journey. This combination of rich, interactive content and Luna’s hyper-personalized guidance creates a unique educational environment where learners can engage deeply with the material.
What metrics do you use to measure the success of your project? Has Kotobee affected those metrics in any way?
We have just launched our iBook offering—a completely new product that combines cutting-edge technology in a rapidly evolving industry. While it is not yet possible to measure the success of this project, we are extremely excited by what we have been able to create and what it means for customers, students, employees, training companies, and authors. This innovative product represents a significant milestone for IDUNOVA, and we believe it will transform the learning experience for all our users.
The Future
What are your plans for the future?
Looking ahead, we plan to leverage even more of Kotobee’s platform functionalities and features beyond our current focus, fully utilizing its capabilities to enhance our offerings. We aim to expand our library with additional titles, providing an even broader range of topics and resources. Additionally, we will continue to enhance Luna, our AI learning assistant, incorporating more advanced AI features to further personalize and improve the learning experience.
